Electronic devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDA's), often contain firmware and application software that are either provided by the manufacturers of the electronic devices, by telecommunication carriers, or by third parties. Electronic devices, such as GSM phones, often contain a SIM card reader that is employed to read information on SIM cards that are inserted by end users. SIM cards are expected to provide personal identity regardless of phone. The firmware and application software on such electronic devices often employ information contained in a SIM card to avail of services provided by service providers over the telecommunications network
Quite often, SIM cards are used to specify the identification of the end user such that any device into which the SIM card is inserted assumes the identity provided by the SIM card. Services accessed by the end user using a SIM card in conjunction with an electronic device are often tailored by the service provider based on information provided by/from the SIM card. This approach has several inherent problems. For example, if the service provider provides content or service based on information provided by the SIM card, such content or information may not be compatible with the electronic device that currently holds the SIM card.
Typically, electronic devices that are handsets, such as GSM phones, PDA's etc. provide SIM card readers. In such devices, a service provider for services accessed from the handset does not know what the actual device type is that is being serviced. Only information provided by the SIM card in the handset is available to the service provider to determine the type of service or type of information to be provided to the end user. If the end user reuses the SIM card in another electronic device and accesses the service, the service provider does not know, and often cannot determine, that the electronic device has been changed. This is especially true of GSM phones where a wireless carrier does not know which wireless handsets type or make is associated with a given SIM card employed by a end user and therefore cannot easily determine the software or firmware that is available in the handset.
There is often a need to know which specific end user electronic device is associated with a end user's SIM card. There is also a need to determine the make, model and version of hardware and software available on the electronic device associated with a SIM card. Unfortunately, such information is not available to the service provider, only the contents of the SIM card, such as a user identification is provided to the service provider. This is a major problem that currently inhibits creation of new services for electronic handsets.
Quite often, new versions of the firmware and software are periodically released to fix the bugs or to introduce new features, or both. There is a fundamental problem in determining which electronic device needs the bug fixes if the service provider or the carrier is not able to accurately and reliably determine which electronic device is currently associated with a given SIM card.
Typically, attempts to upgrade firmware and/or software in electronic devices such as GSM phones are often hampered by limited user interaction capabilities and slow communication speeds on these devices and end user interactions cannot be resorted to, as they can be erroneous. Automating firmware and/or software upgrades, within a carrier network for example, requires the reliable determination of the actual device characteristics associated with a SIM card. When a SIM card is transferred from one electronic device to another, the service provider or the carrier needs to determine what changed. Unfortunately, determination of the change of SIM cards is not supported in most electronic devices and service providers and carriers are totally ignorant of such changes.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.